Chiya, Effy, and their friends spent the next several days busily selling as many tickets as they could. They called uncles, aunts and cousins. Chiya even got his bus driver to buy a ticket on the way to cheder.
A few weeks later, during supper, the phone rang.
“Chiya, it’s for you,” his mother said.
Chiya stopped eating his noodle soup and hurried to the phone.
“Hello?” he said. “Wait, what? Really? Oh wow, thanks! Okay, goodbye.”
The next day, on the way to school, Chiya’s friends all rushed over to him.
“Chiya, is it true?” asked Effy.
“Did you really win the raffle?” said Avi.
“You’re going to Hawaii!” Eli exclaimed.
“Uh... well yes it’s true that I won,” said Chiya. “But I’m not going to Hawaii.”
“What?” all three friends said together. “Why not?”
“Well after I got the phone call letting me know that I won, I was thinking about it. And I called them back and asked if instead of going to Hawaii I could trade the trip for the 21-speed mountain bike that was 3rd prize in the main raffle.” Chiya pulled out a flier with a picture of the bike. “Look, it’s a great bike!”
“Chiya, what got into you?” asked Effy. “We were talking about this trip for weeks.”
“I can’t believe you’d trade a trip to Hawaii for a bike,” said Eli.
“Well,” Chiya explained as they approached the cheder. “I was thinking about going on the trip, and how I had never even left Eretz Yisroel before. And I realized that I’m going to miss all of the Yidden that are here. There aren’t many Yidden in Hawaii, you know.”
“Okay, but we’ll all still be here when you get back,” Avi said.
“Yes, I know, but in this week’s Parsha it says Moshe Rabbeinu ‘went out to his brothers’. And I remembered what my father told me from Rav Avigdor Miller that it was important for Moshe to see his brothers, his fellow Bnei Yisroel. That it is such a pleasure to be surrounded by frum Yidden.
We are so lucky to live here in Yerushalayim where we are surrounded by shomrei Torah uMitzvos. Often, when riding the crowded bus home from cheder I think about my cousins in Cincinnati who don’t have the opportunity to be constantly surrounded by frum Yidden like I do. And when I realized that going to Hawaii would mean giving that up - even if only for a week - I decided that I didn’t want to do that. And besides, the bike will last me longer than a week - and I’ll have the pleasure of getting to see frum Yidden everywhere I ride it!”
“I never thought about that,” Eli said.
“Yeah, I’m just so used to seeing Yidden everywhere,” added Avi.
Effy was quiet for a moment. Then he spoke.
“Chiya,” he said. “You’re right. It is special to be surrounded by Yidden all the time. It’s really special that you gave up a trip to Hawaii for that.”
Have A Wonderful Shabbos!
Takeaway:
We should appreciate our holy brothers and sisters, the Bnei Yisroel. Moshe Rabbeinu left a luxurious palace, just to be with his brothers.
Let’s Review:
- Why did Chiya give up his trip to Hawaii?
- What does this have to do with Moshe Rabbeinu?
